Hellboy III: Birth of the apocalypse
by Mushi's Aura
Summary: They kept them away from the outside world, away from the dangers of man, but children are born with curiosity in their hearts. They seek out that which has only been told in tales but there is an old foe lurking in the shadows.
1. Chapter 1

Location: Hell, city capital; Pandemonium 14:03 October 2009

**_The night is silent, pitch, and hot; hotter that it is most days, even for hell. In the capital there are voices speaking; whispering into the ink of the dark. Saying things and spreading rumors. Anung Un Rama, the beast of the apocalypse they say, he shall become a father. Twins they say._**

**_The prime chief of devils smiles to himself proudly, he shall be of father of father's; the prophecy at long last shall be fulfilled._**


	2. Chapter 2

Location: England; Blackburn 23:44 October 2009

She holds his hand nervously, not the warm one of red flesh and bone, but the cold hardened appendage of stone and ancient magic. Quickly he glanced down at her uncertainly, his wheat colored eyes moving from her soft reassuring façade to the veiled medium that sat crouched on the floor before them; tracing over a large intrigue complicated ring encircled in sigils, with blessed white sand on the floor.

"Liz, I think I'm having second thoughts about all this." The demon said with a slight grunt as he watched as the psychic on the ground placed a small clear hand blown glass bowl of water on the floor, inside one of the sand circles just outside of the outer ring of sigils.

Slowly the demon shook his head he was beginning to have second thoughts about seeing this medium; there were so many things that could go wrong, what if the summoning didn't work? What if Liz got hurt? What if the twins were hurt, or worse? He wasn't ready, he told himself doubtfully. Quickly he stole a glance at the small slender hand wrapped firmly around one of his large stony fingers. It was there for comfort he reminded himself with a grimace; the touch didn't feel comforting, it hadn't felt like anything he told himself cryptically if anything it was just a reminder of what he was or wasn't and what their children wouldn't be he thought as he tried to avoid Liz's soft and worried gaze.

"It's a little late for that don't you think Red?" She asked doubtfully, her voice distant; she had been watching as the shrouded medium placed an empty glass bowl upside down on the floor, completely engrossed in her work with out so much as turning a hair in their direction.

"I know its just…can't this wait for another month or something?" He asked earnestly he hadn't been watching the psychic at work as Liz had, instead he were looking at Liz; her dark hair, her soft eyes, her swollen belly.

"And then what Red? You cant expect me to walk around like this forever?"

"Not forever just a few months…ya know until I'm ready."

"I can't live like this." She said gesturing to her swollen stomach with her free hand, and the demon sighed this hadn't been the first time she had used that line on him he thought with a slight frown.

"Of course you can babe, you've been like this for what? A year now? Another month or two couldn't hurt." He argued half excited that he was making a point of some sort, and this time it was Liz's turn to sigh.

"Red you know what I mean."

"It's not natural, it's not normal." She said giving him a weak glare before placing her for head gently on his shoulder and turning to look at the medium who had left them at some point with out so much as a warning or a sound.

"Liz look at us were not normal." He said bluntly, the sentence was supposed to hurt her but instead it pierced him in the chest like a blade. At his words the two grew silent neither truly wanting to speak for fear of hurting the other.

"Is that what you want to be? Normal?" Her voice was soft when she spoke as though she were holding back tears and he didn't respond.

"Look Red…I know you. I know your scarred but don't be."

"I just don't want to screw up Liz like I do everything else..."

"Red you don't screw up you're a hero. Sure you make a mess of things sometimes…but everyone makes mistakes."

"You mean was a hero, we quit remember? And everyone hated us." He reminded solemnly.

"No, not every one…and I don't mean _was_. You still are, you're a hero to me…to Abe…Krauss…and when these guys come into the picture you'll be their hero too." She said softly cupping his cheek with a pale hand before pulling playfully on the hair of his small goatee with her index finger and thumb.

"Wow…the gas bag too? Now your just making this stuff up." The demon joked, and Liz smiled before giving him a light punch on the arm.

"Red I'm serious." She smiled and he nodded.

"Yeah, I know babe sorry." He said with a grin.

Beads smacked and smashed against each other in the distance and for the first time in what might have been an hour the couple looked up to see the veiled woman approaching with slow somber strides towards the summoning circle a small book of matches in her hands.

At first the woman said nothing, save for the small chants she muttered beneath her breath as she lit one of the matches before placing it in a small clear bowl with the rest of the book of matches that seemed to catch flame very quickly.

"A blood sacrifice is needed." The woman said standing up from the floor, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Sacrifice? You didn't say anything about a sacrifice." The demon said nervously.

"I assumed you already knew, after all we are dealing with hell spawn, things of this nature have a price." The psychic said quickly and with little sympathy or forethought.

"Alright fine let's do it then." The demon said eager to step up to the challenge but the woman only shook her head disapprovingly.

"No, the one who is orchestrating this summoning must make the sacrifice. Her." She said in her thin whisper of a voice.

"Hey wait a second."

"Red its fine. So how do we do this…blood sacrifice?" Liz asked nervously but the psychic hadn't responded, instead she had only moved in a single fluid motion across the room, making sure not to tread on the summoning circle that she had worked so hard to create.

"This will hurt a bit, but everything has its price..." The medium whispered softly her voice void of emotion and interest as she awaited Liz to give her, her hand; the demon watching over her protectively.

The woman rolled up the sleeve her long black shirt to reveal age worn skin and long dirty sharp finger nails. The crone flexed her wrist.

Quickly in a flash of black cloth and skin the old crone stabbed her finger nails into the tips of Liz's fingers, drawing blood.

"Hey!" The demon hissed at the sound of Liz's disgruntled grunt but the woman ignored him, pulling Liz by her arm over to the circle where she squeezed the life's blood from her pale finger and into the circles center. Liz's blood fell in small beads that hit the sand, splattered and darkened its color. And then like that the woman pushed her away.

"It has been done, and it is ready." The crone hissed as she turned towards the odd couple.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Liz asked nervously, all the courage and fire suddenly drained from her as though it had existed only in those twin droplets of blood.

"I am not the one who can answer that." The crone responded her voice just as dull and empty as it had been before.

"I don't know if we should go through with this Red."

"Second thoughts babe?" The demon asked with a raise of his brow.

"Red don't do that to me I'm just being cautious! What if Abe and Krauss are in the wrong place or

"Babe, you of all people having second thoughts? Trust me…its going to be fine." He smiled, gently grabbing and squeezing her hands within his own.

"Now, it is time." The crone said deeply her voice no longer that distant whisper.

"Wait but I thought everything was ready already why are we starting now? Why the wait?" Liz asked confused.

"Everything _was_ ready…everything except for you that is."

"What do you mean?"

"What you two are about to go through is something that this mere summoning circle can not prepare you for mentally…this circle will do nothing for you if you are not sure as to what you truly want…you will always have to wait until you are ready."

"And you think we're ready?" The demon asked mockingly.

"I don't know…are you?"

"Yes." The two answered firmly; they had been looking at each other an again, their eyes trapped with in the others, soft smiles on their faces. Yes they were ready.

"Good then let us begin."


	3. Chapter 3

Location: England; Bromwich, ruined church, 01:52, October 2009

The blue humanoid amphibian known as Abe Sapien, walked silently besides his fellow former B.P.R.D member, a nervous expression on his alien face as he and his German companion braved through the ruins that were once Bromwich church.

He personally had never been the brave one of their little group of quote-un-quote heroes, nor had he been the risk taker, with the exception of that incident involving prince Nuada and the princess; but love could always make people do the weirdest of things and for those of different races and species nothing was changed. He himself had always been the brains, the pathologically curious paranormal Einstein of their group of former supernatural investigators.

"Might I ask professor, I mean Mr. Krauss sir?" Abe started with a nervous blink and twitching fingers; he was still having trouble getting past the formalities or better yet the lack of formalities.

"Please, Herr. Sapien kall me Yohan!" The German said throwing up a leather and metal gloved finger dramatically, his lack of facial expressions forcing him to rely on body language to get his point across.

"Yohan, right…well um might I ask you something…um Yo…han?" Abe asked with a nervous gulp and a brief blink of his big glossy black eyes.

"Ja, Herr. Sapien azk avay!" Yohan said throwing up his hands with that German flair again, as they rounded a corner of a corroded stone wall.

"Right then, well it's just that something has been bothering me. Until now I hadn't realized that Red and Liz only specified that we should be in this location but never gave us reason as to why. What exactly could we be looking for as Liz is going into labor?" Abe asked with a confused shrug of his shoulders and Krauss nodded.

"Zhat Herr Sapien iz because ve are not looking for sumzhing, en fact ve ar vaiting!"

"Vaiting…I mean waiting? For what exactly?" Abe said shaking off the after effects of listening to Krauss' thick German accent.

"Herr Hellboy und Frou Sherman ar summoning zeir children."

"Yes but why are we here? Shouldn't we be with them?"

"Ja, ve should howevar vhen dealing vith hell spawn ozer prekautions ar needed to be put in order. En fact zhis summoning iz only a replication ov ze von zhat brought fourth Herr Hellboy!" Krauss finished and Abe blinked affirmatively.

"Ah I see…so are we waiting for the twins to arrive here?" Abe asked curiously but the answer was ultimately the same; they are simply replicating hellboy's arrival to the earthly plane.

Abe cocked his head to the left, his hands hovering palms open in front of his face as he tried to feel out for something or someone; a heat source, a heart beat anything but there was none.

"Well, that's odd I don't seem to be sensing anything." Abe said almost disappointed as they walked up the stairs of the old ruined church.

"Zhese ar komplicated zings, Herr Sapien. A little patience iz needed." Krauss said before reverting back to silence, the only sound amongst the two being the loud thuds of their combined footsteps, going up the ancient stone stairs.

The two continued to walk in unison silence when a loud crash erupted from the floor below, the force of whatever had hurtled to the ground shook the stone and wood flooring beneath their feet.

"What was that?"

"I am not sure but I am sure ve ar going to find out. Let's go!" Krauss hissed turning on his heels Abe moving uncomfortably behind him as they started down the stairs.

A moving, breathing, squirming ball of bluish red fire was the cause of the floor shaking crash.

Quickly Krauss unlatched the cap on the finger tip of his glove, letting a thin film of smoke bleed from his finger tip; not the most rational thing he has ever done but the action put his unsteady mind at ease somehow.

"Wait." Abe hissed his voice no higher than a whisper as he ripped off the leather gloves from his hands, he outstretched and opened the palms of his hands towards the small moving mass; his head tilting left and right as he tried to examine the information the ball of fire had to give him.

"Oh my, these are the twins." Abe said exasperated as he and Krauss stared at the small oddly shaped fire ball that they now knew to be the children of Liz and Hellboy.

The sound of Abe's voice caused the fire over the two to sputter and choke into death, until it was only a short lived glow on small stone hands and nubs of horns.

"Hallo little vons." Krauss said approaching the pair of infant demon cautiously, his heavy foot falls scaring the twins causing them to run off.

"No, no, no, no, no. No need to be afraid we're friends. We're not here to harm you." Abe said, advancing with short side steps that the pair studied conscientiously.

They purred, cooed, and squeaked amongst themselves the smaller of the pair hiding behind the other; bright amber eyes on the blue man and the once human, gas bag.

"Ja, ve are here to bring you two children home." Krauss said taking another careful step only to be stopped by Abe.

"They seem to be afraid of you, Yohan. Perhaps I should deal with this?"

"Very vell, Herr Sapien." Krauss agreed, backing up with a nod of his helmeted head.

Abe kneeled down near the small red twins, one hand propped onto the floor the other outstretched towards them. They did not trust him at first; at first they stared curiously at him, their golden eyes watching him studiously.

"Come on." Abe said trying to coax the two towards him; the larger had been the one to approach him first and as it did so Abe decided to read the child; it was a boy he learned, with his mother's pyrokinesis, and his father's everything else. He read him a little more this time with his eyes, he noticed the small nubs just above his forehead that in some year's time would become horns just like his fathers, he noted the cloven feet, his bright red skin, and then there was his lack of the stone hand of doom. Abe picked up the child and held him close before turning his attention to the smaller of the two; female he noted, she had both Liz and Hellboy's features; Red's eyes, Liz's hair, the works. Her forehead also harbored the signature nubs that would usually grow to be horns in the future but for her they would be simply nubs. She would have her mother's figure too Abe noted his hand still outstretched of her.

Slowly she began towards him her cloven feet tapping softly against the floor and her two giant stone fists beating nervously on the stone flooring as she approached.

"Yes that's it." Abe said finally as he scooped up the second child, he couldn't help but smile down at them; they were so utterly small with their large ears and wagging lizard like tails.

"Good work, Herr Sapien." Krauss cheered approaching Abe and the children who only seemed to shrink and hide in Abe's arms.

"That's odd, they don't seem to like you much." Abe said as he stared blankly at Yohan then the twins who smiled innocently up at him, yes they were definitely Hellboy's children. Who else but Hellboy could make disliking someone an inherited trait? Abe thought with a smile.

"Ve have retrieved ze twins; ve should kontact Herr Hellboy und Frou Sherman now zhen leave." Yohan said once they were out of the church ruins.

"Yes, I wish I had something to wrap them, in are you sure they'll be alright?" Abe asked his voice worried and concerned as he watched as Krauss pulled out a communicator from his side. Krauss hummed an old German tune as he punched in the numbers to contact Hellboy and Liz, Abe standing nervously less than a foot behind him, his head cocking left and right as though trying to hear something that wasn't there.

"Hallo? Ah yes Hellboy, ve have retrieved ze twins, und might I say kongratulations Herr Hellboy, und Frou Sherman. Ja, ja…ve ar on are vay now. Nein…zey ar vith Herr Sapien." There had been a noise, a faint noise, the sound of a pebble being kicked across the floor some distance away. Quickly Abe turned around, fear in his eyes.

"Yohan…I don't think we should stay here." He said nervously moving forward his eyes on the church just in back of them.

"Vat do you mean? Nein not you Herr Hellboy…Herr Sapien suggests ve leave ze area immediately…Ja, ja. Herr Sapien ve must leave." Krauss said quickly and Abe nodded.

"Oh leaving so soon? Please…stay a vhile." A familiar voice hissed from behind them.

"Herr Sapien protect ze children! I vill hold him off." Krauss hissed and Abe obediently hurried off the twins sleeping in his arms the excitement not so much as casing them to snore, but perhaps that was a good thing?

"Iz zat so?" Abe heard the voice whisper in the distance along with Krauss yell something loud and inaudible behind him.

In his arms the twins were beginning to stir, red limbs slowly churning and creaking to life as they awoke; actions that the usually attentive Abe ignored as he ran sloppily towards civilization, where he and the others had decided on a meeting point.

Confused and cold the demonic infants began to cry low wailing sobs that involved small sparks of fire and heavy punches to the chest with fists of stone.

"Calm down children…I feel your discomfort but for now you just have to deal with it. I can't stop." Abe said anxiously as he made his way to the meeting point. He was surprised to see Liz standing at the rendezvous point, some length of fabric in her arms; she had thought ahead Abe scolded himself as he approached her with the twins.

"Oh, hello Liz, uh…where's Red?" Abe asked. handing the children to Liz who wrapped them in the thin blanket.

"He went to help out Krauss, he left after his communicator cut off. What's going on? And are the twins alright?" Liz asked taking the children from Abe and wrapping them in the blanket in her arms.

"No, the children are fine. I don't quite know how to explain it other than like seeing a ghost."

"You say that like its impossible." Liz teased and Abe nodded in agreement.

"Yes, sorry. We should probably get going." Abe said quickly, nervously checking behind them; nothing.

"Yeah you're probably right; we have to get these little guys settled." Liz said remnants of a smile finding play on her lips as she looked down at the twins.

There was brief talk about the attack that occurred earlier; the attack that they all knew was meant to be a kidnapping. But that's not what had bothered them, they had already knew that the twins would be subject to attack, what they had expected was the who. The Nazis again, or the psychopath Rasputin, or at least that's what Hellboy thought his name was.

"Okay, were going to have to put this on the back burner, the children need names guys. We cant keep calling them children, or the twins, or the kids…they need names." Liz said walking into the room.

"How about Junior?" Hellboy joked and Liz rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious Red, I'm not naming our son Hellboy II." Liz sneered with a roll of her eyes and her hands on her hips.

"What why not? What's wrong with my name?"

"Well how about simple such as William or Jessica?" Abe asked curiously And Liz gave a half hearted sigh.

"You know exactly what's wrong with naming our kids after you Red. Sorry Abe I don't want the kids to sound like spoiled little rich kids."

"Vhat about Ivon?" Krauss added from the corner of the room with a dramatic rise of his finger.

"Yeah uh…Yohan…I don't care what Liz think on the subject but we're not naming my kid Ivon."

"No, no…I'm sorry Krauss but I agree with Red."

"Nien, zat iz okay, frou Sherman." Yohan nodded.

"Yeah whatever gasbag…hey Liz…what about Roe?" Hellboy asked a large smile playing on his face.

"Roe?"

"Yeah for the girl!"

"Wow Red…that's actually really nice."

"Thanks babe."

"And what about…Devon?" Liz asked but there was no argument.

"Yeah babe." Hellboy said making a face that Liz hadn't noticed, he hadn't truly liked the name; he was still fixed on junior, he had always wanted to hear someone say 'Hey Red…no not you the other Red.' But now because of Liz he would never get that wish fulfilled. Damn, he thought to himself with a shake of his head and a weak smile. Damn.


End file.
